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  3. Laura Bush: A Second Look at the First Lady A Teacher and Educator When Laura Bush walked into the room wearing a stunning t

Laura Bush: A Second Look at the First Lady A Teacher and Educator When Laura Bush walked into the room wearing a stunning t

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问题                                 Laura Bush: A Second Look at the First Lady
A Teacher and Educator
    When Laura Bush walked into the room wearing a stunning tangerine(橘红色) suit, I wanted to say—just the way I would to a friend—"Have you been working out?" "Have you changed your hairstyle?" She looked slimmer and even younger than the woman I interviewed a little less than four years ago, on the day before the world changed. Back then, on September 10, 2001, Washington, still reeling from an election that rested on a mere 537 votes in Florida, was recovering from culture shock. The Bushes ran a very different White House than the Clintons. They were on time for appointments, they spent quiet evenings with intimate friends, and they went to bed early. Not exactly a hip Hollywood lifestyle. But the First Lady—a title she still thinks of as too lofty and inauthentic to describe her—was winning hearts and minds. She is, after all, a teacher and educator. She taught elementary school in Houston and Austin for several years, and produced an outstanding book fair in Washington with some of America’s greatest authors populating(聚集于) vast lawns filled with tents, talking to throngs about their works. Laura Bush’s love of reading is partly what defines her. I always wondered if books were substitutes for the brothers and sisters she didn’t have growing up in Midland, Texas if they kept her from feeling lonely.
Why She’s So Popular
    On the day of our visit last January, as my colleague Bill Beaman and I sat in a room waiting for the First Lady, we noticed a wall full of children’s books, and thought they might be some of her favorites. The room was plain, rather cozy, and under-decorated. We were told the interview would take place in Mrs. Bush’s office, and assumed this was a waiting room. Wrong. This was Laura Bush’s office: child centric art and literature, a simple desk, a small sitting area, and that’s it. How true to her style, I remember thinking. The tangerine suit was a compromise to the role of political wife. The office wasn’t you could imagine her in jeans and a work shirt. The reason Laura Bush is perhaps the most popular First Lady since her mother-in-law, Barbara Bush, is because of the jeans and work-shirt attitude she projects to the country.
Not Exactly a "Desperate Housewife"
    To her critics, Laura Bush’s solid and consistent behavior translates as dull, boring, she’s been called a Stepford wife, obedient and risk opposing. But after 9.11, some began to see her true value. Laura Bush had become the "nurturer-in-chief", offering the kind of compassion and rhetoric to the 9.11 families—and the country—that you can’t fake. She emerged from that tragedy as a true believer in the fight against terrorism. But her war would be waged in the classroom.
    She jump-started an educational reform program in Afghanistan that would allow women to attend school for the first time. "Women were not empowered(授权力), and the result was that one-half of the population could contribute to society," she says. "We are building an American school in Kabul, where women teachers can be trained and have a safe place to live...a teachers’ institute, so they can go back to their provinces and teach."
    Laura Bush’s commitment to education and literacy has gone well beyond chairing the occasional benefit fund-raiser, or offering photos as she tours schools. "My whole life I’ve been interested in education and children. I’ve done a lot of work with teaching recruitment organizations, like Troops to Teachers and Teach for America. I’d like to encourage people to choose teaching as a career because it’s so important." She taught underprivileged kids in Austin, where she was a librarian.  Laura’s daughter Jenna, a recent graduate of the University of Texas, has followed in her mother’s footsteps and is teaching at a Washington, D.C., public school.
    Growing up an only child in Midland and having no interest in sports, Laura Bush turned to books for joy and entertainment. She had plenty of friends, and still sees some who date back to her days in the Brownies. But books offered a special joy. Her close friend Penny Royall, who moved to Midland in the mid-70s, says that Laura Bush’s love of literature accounts for her thoughtful and intelligent personality. "Being so well-read has enriched her life as well as the country."
Who She Is Today
    Since the election, some say Laura Bush has emerged as more fashionable and more willing to open the White House for social events. However, she had limited the number of state dinners after 9.11. Now, with a new chef and many new staff members. she’s gearing up for a strong social season.
    She has also outlined a new national project, "Helping America’s Youth, which targets at risk middle-and high school boys. "We know that a lot of the students who have the most problems are the ones who can’t read," she says. "They’re the ones who drop out or they’re the ones who are frustrated and act out in school. Often, they’re boys. We’ve focused on girls for the last 30 years, and I think we’ve neglected boys. As a society, we believe that boys call take care of themselves, that boys don’t cry, and that boys don’t express emotion or shouldn’t that it’s not manly to do that. There are a larger number of boys who are in trouble, who go to jail. The choices they make really impact the rest of their lives."
    Tile First Lady intends to highlight some of the already existing programs to communities throughout the country. One of them, in Dallas, pairs a troubled boy with an unadoptable dog who would otherwise be killed. "The boys are taught to train the dogs in a gentle way, and they end up with unconditional love that they get from this animal. But also they end up saving the life of the animal."
    In many ways, Laura Bush has been liberated. There are no more campaigns to face, no more debates, no more stump speeches after this term. She would never want to toss her own hat in the political arena. "I’m not really interested in running for anything. That’s just not my personality. I have the wonderful opportunity of being able to do what elected officials do without actually having to run myself." Penny Royall says, "It’s fair to say that Laura is a natural introvert(内向的). She’s not shy. She prefers quiet company. Just a week or so ago, I was over on Saturday, we worked out, showered and dressed. We were sitting in the living room. She was working, I was reading a book. We were quietly sitting, just being together. The President came in and said, ’Aren’t you all going to talk to each other? You haven’t said one word to each other.  We were just quietly enjoying being there together."
    That’s the difference between George and Laura Bush. He’s the extrovert(外向的); she’s private and reserved. He’s a plain-speaking Texan who can stir people to anger with fighting words. She’s measured and thoughtful. He’s a true politician. She avoids the spotlight. They fill in the blanks for one another. At the end of his term, they’ll be empty nesters, living on their ranch in Crawford, watching football and baseball games, doing puzzles, and wearing jeans and work shirts. Laura Bush will write a children’s book about Barney, their dog, and do what she’s been doing all of her adult life—making sure that children read the books that will inspire their lives, just like she did.
选项 A、Y
B、N
C、NG
答案A
解析 由题干关键词Bushes worked and lived in White House，可以定位到第一个小标题第一段第三、四两句。第三句提出了布什总统与克林顿总统管理白宫的方式截然不同，接下来第四句具体说明他们在白宫工作生活的习惯。也就是说，布什总统在白宫工作生活的方式与克林顿不一样。题目是这两句话的同义综述。
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